WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A federal judge agreed on Friday to block the Trump administration from dismantling an independent agency that distributes grant money to community development groups in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan ruled that the administration doesn鈥檛 have the authority to remove the head of the Inter-American Foundation, which is governed by a bipartisan nine-member board.
Congress created the foundation more than 50 years ago. It has disbursed $945 million to thousands of grant recipients in roughly three dozen countries.
AliKhan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, found that Congress had given the only foundation鈥檚 board the authority to fire its head.
鈥淏ecause neither President Trump nor Mr. Marocco had the authority to fire her from her position as the president of the IAF, Ms. Aviel is likely to succeed on the merits of her case,鈥� AliKhan wrote.
On Feb. 19, President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for dramatically reducing the size of the federal government. It listed the IAF as one of the agencies targeted for cuts. Representatives of billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency showed up at the foundation鈥檚 offices on Feb. 20.
Several days later, the White House removed all of the agency鈥檚 board members, fired Sara Aviel as president and CEO of the IAF and appointed Pete Marocco as the agency鈥檚 acting board chair. Marocco later appointed himself as Aviel鈥檚 temporary replacement.
Aviel鈥檚 attorneys said most foundation employees were notified they will be fired on Friday. The IAF鈥檚 website has been taken down. Marocco has terminated nearly all of its grants.
鈥淚f those terminations go into effect, those staff will never return. The IAF will be gutted,鈥� . 鈥淭he same is true of the relationships with grantees and donors, and the reputation the IAF has spent decades cultivating in Latin America.鈥�
Nine of more than 400 organizations that had their IAF grants canceled to preserve the foundation. Those plaintiffs include groups that oppose violence against women and in schools in Peru, extend credit to women in rural Mexico and teach small farmers sustainable agricultural techniques.
鈥淪everal have already had to lay off staff and several are considering shutting down entirely,鈥� their attorneys wrote.
Government attorneys said Trump lawfully removed the board members and appointed Marocco, who had the authority to remove Aviel. They argued that Aviel鈥檚 court-ordered reinstatement would undermine Trump鈥檚 goals to reduce the size of the government.
鈥淢oreover, the public interest would be undermined if the President did not have a Foundation Board and leadership appointed by that Board who holds the President鈥檚 confidence and, accordingly, will effectively serve him in executing his duties as Chief Executive,鈥� .
The administration also fired the head of the United States African Development Foundation, a sister organization of the IAF. Ward Brehm sued to keep his job as president of the USADF. On March 11, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon declined to extend an order blocking Brehm鈥檚 firing pending a ruling on the merits of his case.
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Associated Press writer Lindsay Whitehurst contributed.
Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press
